Evaluation of the Importance Levels of Legal Responsibilities of Employers and Workers in Terms of Occupational Health and Safety with the AHP Approach

Abstract

In case of an occupational accident, the responsible party is identified by assessing fault rates in terms of occupational health and safety (OHS). This is based on the responsibilities defined for employers and employees in both international and national legal regulations regarding OHS. However, the legal regulations do not include an assessment of the fault rates associated with the scale of these responsibilities. This study aims to prioritize the legal responsibilities of employers and employees in OSH using the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP). Eleven responsibility criteria were identified based on international and national OSH regulations: seven for employers and four for employees. Face-to-face interviews were conducted with 52 experts, including OSH specialists and forest engineers. The results showed employers held a significantly larger share of OSH responsibilities (67.9%) compared to employees (32.1%). The most important employer responsibilities were providing personal protective equipment (PPE) to workers (14%), providing training to workers (13%), and conducting risk assessments (12%). For employees, the most critical responsibilities were avoiding risky situations (9%), refraining from behaviors that pose a risk to OSH (8%), and reporting hazards to employers (8%). The priority levels of employer and employee responsibilities determined in this study will help ensure a fair assessment of the fault percentages in occupational accidents. The results contribute to a more structured and quantitative approach to OSH responsibility allocation, emphasizing the need for a clear delineation of responsibilities and the implementation of robust training and risk management systems to ensure workplace safety. Effective collaboration between employers and employees, supported by adequate training, communication, and risk mitigation strategies, is essential to reduce workplace accidents and ensure long-term compliance with OSH regulations.